Car-door catch



(NoModeu W. K. EDGAR & W. L. SBBRING.

. CAR DOOR GATGH. No. 585,189. Patented June 29,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.V

lVVILLIAM K. EDGAR AND IVILLIAM L. SEBRING, OF COLORADO SPRINGS,COLORADO.

CAR-DOOR CATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,189, dated June 29,1897.

Application filed May 20, 1896. Serial No. 592,333. (No model.) I

o all whom. t muy con/cern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM K. EDGAR and WILLIAM L. SEBRING, citizensof the United States, residing at Colorado Springs, in the county of ElPaso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful vCar- DoorCatch, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to car-door fasteners or catches; and the objectin view is to provide a strong and efficient fastening device which willengage the rear edge of the door as the saine is closed and securelyhold such edge against being drawn outward.

The fasteners may also be arranged in a manner that will prevent thedoor being forced upward or downward, and they are intended to be usedas supplemental to the ordinary fastenings at the front end of the door.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel features and detailsof construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claimhereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of aportion of a car adjacent to the door-opening, showing the improvedcatches. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the car-door detached, lookingtoward the inner side thereof and showing the form of the strip engagedby the catches. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a portion of thecar and its door, showing the manner in which the rear end of the dooris engaged and fastened.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the side of acar-body, and 2 the door-opening therein.

3 indicates a sliding door, which is provided adjacent to its upper edgewith hangers 4., which engage over a horizontal rail or track 5, securedrigidlyto the car-body, by which the sliding door is suspended.

The door may be mounted to slide against the outer surface of thecar-body in any usual or preferred manner, and the lower edge of thedoor may, if desired, be confined between a metal strip 6 and thecar-body for preventing the outward displacement of the door. The doormay also be provided with a hasp 7, and any desired foiun of lock orsealing device 9 may be attached to the car-body adjacent to the frontend of the door for engaging the hasp and holding the door closed.

, As the parts above enumerated form no part of the present inventioi,they may be constructed and arranged in ny desired manner.

In order to carry out the present invention, an L-shaped metal catch orkeeper 10 or two or more of such catches or keepers are secured to thecar-body and to one edge of the dooropening 2, as shown in Fig. 1. Oneportion or arm of each catch or keeper may be secured to the edge ordoor-post of the door opening, or a mortise may be formed in the edge ofthe door-opening, into which the catch or keeper may be set Hush. Theother portion or arm of the catch is arranged exteriorly of the car-bodyand spaced a short distance therefrom. The two portions of the catch aredisposed at a slightly-obtuse angle to each other, so that the outerprojecting lip portion of the catch has an inclined or oblique innersurface, adapting it to act with a cam action upon the complementarymember of the fastening device attached to the door.

The sliding door is provided upon its inner surface withreinforcing-strips l1, which eX- tend around the edges thereof and serveto offset the said inner surface of the door from the car-body. Securedto that strip 11 which is located at the rear edge of the door is avertical metal strip 12, let in flush with the other strips. `Betweenthe strip 12 and the inner surface of the door and arranged at pointscorresponding to the catches 10 on the car-body are mortises 13, inwhich the lips of the catches are received upon closing the door. Thuswhen the door is closed the lips of the catches enter behind the metalstrip 12 and, by reason of the oblique inner surfaces of the engaginglips of the catches 10, as the door is slid tightly shut the rear edgeof the door is drawn tightly against the car-body in a manner that willbe readily understood. Atthe points where the catches 10 engage thestrip 12 the latter may be formed with notches 14, establishing upperand lower shoulders 15, which when the door is closed prevent the IOOupward or downward movement of the cardoor relatively to the ear-body.The opening movement of the door is limited by the strip 11 at the frontedge of the door striking against the hooks 10.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a Very simple andefiicient means is provided for securely holding the rear edge of asliding ear-door from being pried open.

As before stated, any suitable fastening de- Vice may be employed at thefront edge of the door, and the door maybe mounted upon the car-body toslide thereon in any usual or preferred manner.

It will be apparent t-hat changes in the form, proportion, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- Thecombination of a sliding car-door provided at its rear inner edge withspaced mortises, a metal plate 12 fitted to the rear inner edge of thedoor and formed with notches 14 leading into said mortises and producingstopshoulders 15, and L shaped catch -hooks adapted to be secured to therear edge of the car-door opening and having their outer portionsdisposed obliquely to the attached portions thereof and engaging in saidmortises at the inner side of the plate 12, to provide for drawing therear edge of the car-door inward against the car-body, said hooks alsoresting in the notches of the plate 12 so as to engage against saidstop-shoulders 15 and prevent upward or downward movement of thecar-door, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLAM K. EDGAR. WILLIAM L. SEBRING. Witnesses:

EDW. F. Pon, L. C. MEYAND.

